There were a number of recurrent themes in the responses. Several people chose a text based on how user-friendly it was and the degree to which it specifically addressed the needs of undergraduates (Barry and van Gelderen were cited), others were more concerned with the level of detail or traditional presentation of grammatical facts (Emery, et al, and Kaplan were cited). A few respondents focused on texts that eclectically drew upon insights from different theories of language and led students to think critically and analyze, rather than just memorize (Kammer, et al., was cited).

The most frequent complaints about texts arose from confusing layouts, lack of depth, or level of difficulty. Many also wanted texts that contained some specific features, for example the use of both generative-style tree and Reed-Kellogg sentence (e.g., Riley and Parker and Kammer, et al.) or the inclusion of exercises. The inclusion of exercises was, in fact, a frequent theme among respondents, and many of the texts on the above list have accompanying pedagogical aids such as instructor's manuals, teaching suggestions, study guides, exercises, and answer keys. Some include publisher-sponsored websites with additional instructional aids.